Islamophobia as a constraint to world peace: the case of Australia

Abstract

One of the critical factors shaping any understanding of the reception of Islam and Muslims in the West is an overarching anti-Islam and anti-Muslim discourse. This article takes Islamophobia to refer to a discourse that reifies and essentializes negative images of Islam, Muslims and their cultures, resulting in unfounded fear of actual Muslims. This article briefly discusses this discourse and demonstrates its effects in the West and in particular in Australia. It then describes the Australian context, and the emergence of Muslim communities and of policies and practices of inclusion rather than exclusion.

Keywords:

• religion
• diversity
• Islamophobia
• Australia
• boundaries